Page 35 (1/2)

Her words chilled htenedthe dagger down over and over again I could vividly feel the intensity of her anger I understood all to well the desperation to destroy the one as destroying you Howhis blood?

Cneajna wiped a tear away, and said in a tremulous voice, "When my husband entered the roo over her with the knife still in my hands What horrified hi the drops of her blood from my lips"

"She drove you to it," I declared "She was so cruel to you I do not kno you could have stood it! I would have been h, a bitter sound "But can you not see, Glynis, I was mad I was so insane with my jealousy and desperation I murdered Piroska and felt no remorse My husband was horrified at what I had done, but he did not killMatyas My cousin was not as ht for his throne, he knehat itso desperately you would kill to achieve it But I had to be punished Matyas sent rád, to his summer palace I was to be kept there until I died I was not to leave the palace grounds It was not a true punishment I loved it there It was so beautiful and serene with its beautiful views and red marble fountains It was heaven coo down to the Danube River and sit there for hours in the sun"

"Were you happy?"

"I was at peace Yet, not happy That came later One day, as I sat beside the Danube, another prisoner, a , sat down beside me on the riverbank His name was Vlad Tepes, son of Dracul He asked me why I was at the palace and why the servants would not speak of me when he asked them my name I told him I was a murderess and he did not seem upset by that confession"

"Of course not," I sniffed daintily

Cneajna smiled at the memory "No, he would not be I told him what I had done and he said that Piroska deserved her death for usurpingmy unborn child He was the only person who ever fully understood why I had to kill Piroska We spoke often during our captivity I found him to be the most incredible man He was determined to rule his own people in Wallachia and push back the Turk invaders It was not long before I loved him and he loved me I would have been his wife, but I was still married to István and Matyas would not allow it Instead, Vlad y, a cousin to both Matyas and myself I understood why he had to do this He wanted Matyas to help hiain his land and he needed to form a bond to the family When he left, freed of his imprisonment, he swore to me he would one day return for me"

"But as he imprisoned?"

"When the Turks overran Wallachia, Vlad had fled to Hungary to appeal to my cousin for help My cousin instead imprisoned hi letters to Matyas, appealing to hi him to release Vlad and allow him to once more conquer Wallachia and save his people from the Turks In the end, he must have listened, for Vlad was released and as I said, he married one of reat warrior for Wallachia"

"A great warrior and a king He built this castle during his reign and all the land that surrounds it was his to rule"

No wonder he is so arrogant, I thought "When did he return for you?"

Cneajna sighed "I heard of his death at the hands of assassins sent by the Turks by letter from my cousin Vlad had once more become ruler of Wallachia, and I knew he had achieved what he had desired most: to push back the Turks, kill his brother Radu, and reclaim his throne I was devastated to read that his head was taken by the Turks to Constantinople and iround and was inconsolable I wept for days until I could cry no more I was so despondent; I would not eat or sleep I would sit in my room and reread all the letters he had sent to me after he had been freed from Matyas’ custody He had been faithful in his correspondence and my heart would always beat faster when I saw his seal upon my letters And then, one last letter, posted before his death, arrived He wrote that I was always in his thoughts and that he wanted me to be with me until death and beyond for eternity He said no woman he had known had understood his torment as I had I was the only woman that knehat it was to taste the blood of one’s ene theht I would go rief"

"And then he came, did he not?"

"Yes I fell asleep in my bedroom and dreamed only of death Then, in the darkness of ainst mine I was thrilled to see him, yet confused I kneas supposed to be dead, yet, he kissed ainst him There was another in the room A beautiful woman with raven hair and eyes like fire"

"Erzsébet"

"Yes, Erzsébet She was powerful and I knew she was not mortal Her eyes were like fire and when I looked into Vlad’s eyes, I saw the same fire I was afraid, but he kissed me and whispered he had come to claim me as his own When I felt his teeth pierce ain as I wrapped my arms around her

"Do not cry, Cneajna Please, do not cry!"

"Do you not see, Glynis? He gaveI had lost The position as the first wife of his household, even over Erzsébet; she as his first co I wanted: fine jewels, beautiful clothes and children You and Ariana and Elina are ave me eternal life, eternal beauty, and the eternal hope that someday, we shall rise up and rule as we once did"

I could not speak I was overco out of Cneajna In so many e had both been confined by the restrictive rules of our societies, but where Cneajna saw her vampire life as freedom, I saw it as one more prison Cneajna was content in this dark world and I was not Where Cneajna loved Vlad for freeing her fro me in this vampire life

"So, you see, dearest Glynis, we must do as he wishes, for in the end he will do what is best for us He is wise He is strong As long as you obey him, he will not have reason to destroy your brother He may even show favor to him and make him immortal, and then you would be with your beloved brother forever Youand not complain And soon, you will love him as I do"

I did not, could not, respond to the fervent whispers of the vaainst Vlad Even though Cneajna did not realize it, Vlad had trapped her in a prison rád I am determined to escape Vlad at all cost